


I'm all appetite, you'll help me to grow

by KillTheDirector



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe -Horror, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-08
Updated: 2017-11-28
Packaged: 2019-01-30 23:49:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12663972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KillTheDirector/pseuds/KillTheDirector
Summary: Lance’s car dies one night in the middle of a rainstorm. Luckily a nice man gives him a ride.





	1. Chapter 1

“ _Shit._ ” Rain was falling in thick sheets, the sound a constant hum as it pelted over the open hood of the car. The light from Lance’s phone shook as he waved away thick smoke, a scowl covering his normally smiling face. “C’mon, baby, we just need to make it to the next town...” As if in response, the car sputtered out another cloud of smoke. 

Lance groaned and pressed the heel of his hand against one eye until he was seeing stars. The rain seemed to pour even harder which just added to his misery. 

It wasn’t like there were gonna be any cars this late at night. 

Slamming the hood shut with a little more force than necessary, Lance tugged at the sopping hood of his jacket; the red material was now stained a color that more resembled blood, sticking to his arms uncomfortably and making him itch. 

He shivered, blue eyes glancing up and down the road before he decided he would have to walk. 

Lance grabbed his backpack from the back of the car and hoisted it onto his shoulder. He patted the top, murmuring a few words of apology before he began to walk. 

The rain fell harder, the sound almost deafening as he walked along the empty road. The woods on either side of him were black, the trees reaching toward the young male with spindly fingers; Lance’s teeth chattered as he pulled his gaze away from the tree line and to the road before him. 

It was late, the night almost tangible as he walked along the winding mountain road. His hands tightened around his phone, heart pounding staccato against his breast bone. 

It would be far too easy to hide a body so far out in the country. 

A flash of headlights pulled Lance from thoughts of serial killers and cheesy horror movie tropes and into the present. He turned to look over his shoulder, eyes wide as an inky black car slowed to a stop. 

He was visibly shivering now, the rain making him look pathetic as a large figure got out of the car. “Hey,” it was a man’s voice, smooth and laced with worry. “Do you need help?” 

The car’s headlights were nearly blinding as Lance tried to squint passed them in order to see the man. He gnawed on the inside of his cheek, anxiety pooling in his gut as a thousand bloody scenarios flashed through his head. The cold water causing his hoodie stick to his skin made his decision a little easier as a sunny smile worked over his mouth. “Uh, can I get a ride?” 

“Yeah of course!” Lance found himself laughing softly at the words—hurried and now fully blooming with concern. He quickly walked over to the passenger side of the car, noting the sleek black paint with a touch of envy. 

Lance slid into the car and let out an unbidden moan when warm air washed over him. “Thanks, this really is nice of you.” He turned to give the man a mega watt smile, but found his face flushing in surprise. 

Of course the gallant stranger saving him from pneumonia was gorgeous. 

The man laughed and shifted the car into drive. “It’s not a problem, but I have to ask...why were you walking in a downpour at night? These roads can be pretty dangerous.” 

Lance laughed, embarrassment making his cheeks flush. He looked away from the stranger and out the window; the woods were now just a smear of black from behind the glass, almost like the void of space. “My car died on the way up the mountain and I didn’t really wanna spend the night in it.” 

The man raised an eyebrow and glanced at Lance from the corner of his eye. The younger male tried not to stare at the way the man’s dark shirt clung to his chest, nor the way the muscle in his forearm bulged when he turned the steering wheel. Lance needed to practice caution—something Hunk always told him—and having a pretty face and arms as big as Lance’s head didn’t automatically make someone not a serial killer. 

“You do realize that the next town is ten miles away, right?” 

Lance wanted to squirm as the man gave him a sidelong look, his tone slightly chastising. Instead the younger male waved a flippant hand and shrugged a shoulder. “I run five every day.” He decided to pile on some cheese and gave the man a bashful-bordering on flirtatious smile. “Anyway, you rescued me from pneumonia. My hero!”

The man laughed softly, a fact that made Lance’s heart swell with pride. “You looked pretty pathetic out in the rain, I couldn’t just drive by.” Lance sunk into the leather seats (they were heated!) and hummed. He didn’t realize how tired he was until he was suddenly warm. The heat in Blue was iffy on the best of days, which today obviously wasn’t. “Why are you out here anyway?” 

The question brought Lance back to the present; he sat up straighter but ran a hand down his face to wake himself up. “Um, my grandma lives in Altea—well, lived. She died.” 

“Oh, I’m sorry...” Lance shook his head. 

“It’s fine, I didn’t really know her too well. I’m just gotta go there for the weekend to start packing up her stuff until my parents are able to make it out.” He closed his mouth with a click and then released an awkward chuckle. “Ahh, sorry—I’m a stranger and I kinda just unloaded that on you.” 

The man smiled softly and gave Lance an equally soft look. “It’s fine, sometimes you just need to talk to someone.” 

They fell into a comfortable silence that had Lance nearly falling asleep. He jolted awake when he felt a large hand fall onto his leg. “Wake up, we’re here.” Lance blinked in confusion, his brows furrowed as he looked around. 

They were pulled in a drive way that he vaguely recognized from childhood pictures of his dad. The house was situated on the dead end of a road and backed up to the woods; there was a street light that cast a yellow-orange glow over the shadows, making them almost solid black. The rain had stopped, though there was the occasional plop from raindrops still contained in leaves. 

He yawned and stretched, digging the key from his bag absentmindedly. “Thanks a lot, man. You’re a real life saver.” 

The man hummed softly and gave him a quick nod. “It’s no problem, I’m glad to help.” Lance smiled brightly and opened the door; he was struck by the scent of wet wood and the shrieking of crickets. 

It seemed so...lonely out here. 

His hand tightened around the keys as he jogged up to the house. It was nice and cozy, though the pile of wet newspapers laying on the porch had to be taken care of ASAP. He heard the car pull away when he managed to unlock the door, but froze as a thought suddenly occurred to him. 

He never gave the man the address.


	2. Chapter 2

“—I dunno, it’s kind of a weird place, like super out in the boonies.” Lance had his phone pinched between his shoulder and ear as he wandered through the town’s only grocery store. 

_”You’re lucky you weren’t killed while hiking out there! Why didn’t you call AAA? That’s why you have it, dude.”_ Hunk’s worried voice makes Lance smile despite the chastising. He wished that the other male had come with—the house was creepy, especially when he was alone and it was dark; sadly Hunk had to stay behind for finals, leaving Lance to take care of his grandmother’s house. 

“It was like almost midnight; I got there in one piece just fine. I called the local mechanic this morning to get Blue. Oh yeah that reminds me—“ He trailed off when his gaze caught on a vaguely familiar tuft of white hair. “I’ll...call you back, Hunk.” 

His best friend’s confused voice was cut off when Lance jabbed the screen of his phone in order to catch up to the man from the night before. Something like fear had been coiling in his gut since last night, confusion and paranoia about how a complete stranger knew where to take him made alarm bells go off in Lance’s head. 

He practically slammed his cart against the man’s, making the other jump and whirl around to meet Lance’s panicked gaze. “Oh h—“

“HowdidyouknowwhereIwasgoing?” The jumbled question hung in the air between them before the man blinked. 

“Excuse me?” He gently placed the can of soup he had been holding into his cart; his eyes didn’t leave Lance’s, almost like one wouldn’t look away from a wild animal. 

“Last night,” Lance said slowly, his fingers tightening around the handle of his cart in order to ground himself. “You gave me a ride to my grandma’s house...how did you know where I was going?” 

The man’s dark brows furrowed but then realization washed over his handsome face. “You told me? I guess you _were_ pretty out of it...” He held his hands up in surrender, an apologetic frown on his mouth. “I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.” 

Lance suddenly felt like an asshole. The man seemed genuinely nice and confused that a random guy he had helped was accusing him of _something_ in the middle of a grocery store. He deflated a bit, an embarrassed flush working over his face as the man shifted from one foot to the other, grey eyes glancing about for an escape. 

Maybe he _did_ tell him...it was late, and Lance had traveled after an eight hour shift at work so he had been exhausted. 

“Oh my god, dude...I’m so sorry,” It was Lance’s turn to apologize. “I-I guess I was really tired and didn’t remember then got freaked out...” 

The man chuckled softly. “It’s fine, you hear all sorts of horror stories about traveling; it’s understandable you’d get freaked out if you thought a stranger knew where you lived.” Apparently the man was an absolute angel; anyone else would’ve cursed Lance out for accusing them of...

What exactly had he been afraid of? 

Lance offered the man a tentative smile, his embarrassment mellowing. “Dude, you’re being way too nice, I need to make it up to you.” He reeled back the last dregs of paranoia (because _really_ , why had he even been afraid in the first place?) and placed a flirtatious smile on his face. “The name’s Lance, and I’m _super_ sorry I thought you were a stalker.” 

The man huffed out another laugh and rested his arms (cheese and crackers, those things could be considered _weapons_ ) on the handle of his cart. His eyes were warm and a soft grin pulled at the corners of his mouth. “It’s nice to actually meet you, Lance. My name is Shiro.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The plot thickens


	3. Chapter 3

There was something following him. 

Lance could feel the thing’s breath just on the back of his neck—it smelled sickly sweet, like meat that had just spoiled. The moisture of its breath made him sweat while his heart pounded furiously against his breastbone. 

He wasn’t running— _running draws its attention_ —instead Lance walked at a creeping pace, his bare feet sinking into cold mud and becoming caked with dead leaves. 

It was coming closer, the press of something cold and dead chilled his skin, made him whimper in fear even though he kept moving. A knife— _teeth_ —scratched over the surface of his neck and caused goosebumps and blood to bead over his skin. 

A cry caught in his throat, clogging his airway as he tried to _breathe_ —

Lance gasped as his eyes flew open, confusion making him dizzy as he swayed on his feet. He frowned, a hand going up to press against his forehead as he took in his surroundings. 

He was standing in the open doorway of his grandmother’s house. 

Crisp mountain air caressed his flushed cheeks while the sound of birds chirping pulled Lance into the here and now. 

What was he doing? 

Lance’s face screwed up into a confused frown, hand still pressed against his forehead as he tried to get his bearings straight. He remembered going through a few boxes of old documents his grandmother had stored in the hall closet...he had talked to his mom about how things were going...texted Shiro about a possible date...

It had been late when he had decided to go to bed—somewhere around two; he had been texting Shiro that evening since the whole grocery store incident. The man was sweet, if a little awkward; it was a welcome change from Lance’s ex, a self entitled douche who only wanted him for one thing. 

Lance let out a sigh and shut the door. He chewed on the inside of his cheek, a nagging sensation gnawing at the back of his mind. 

He had never sleepwalked before.

Walking over to the couch, Lance snatched up his phone where it had been charging. There were a few messages—one from Hunk asking how things were going, Pidge demanding a movie marathon when he got back into town, a missed call from his mom, and one from Shiro wishing him a goodnight. 

Lance rubbed at his eyelids as he called his mom back. A headache was beginning to creep up his neck, the pain shooting so suddenly he let out a soft whine. Bracing himself against the door, Lance squeezed his eyes shut and slid to the ground. His mother answered on the third ring, her soothing voice like a balm against the pain in his head. “Mama!” Lance gasped, relief washing over him; his headache was already beginning to fade. 

_”Hijo, I’ve been trying to call you all morning!”_ Lance smiled at his mother’s softly reprimanding tone. 

“I was...asleep. Is everything okay?”

 _”That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. Your father and I won’t be able to make it out there until next weekend; the flights were too expensive so short notice.”_ She sounded disappointed—they hadn’t seen Lance in over a year—but he almost could detect something that sounded like relief. _”I’m so sorry, baby. Will you be able to stay until we’re able to come?”_

Lance pulled at a bit of dried skin on his lip. He most likely would be able to call into work and explain the situation, and Hunk was already taking care of his care of his cat...He looked around the living room, lost in thought as he watched dust motes swirl in the mid-morning sun. 

_”Hijo?...Lance, are you still there?”_ Lance jumped at his mother’s voice. He shook himself and smiled even though she wasn’t able to see him. 

“Yeah yeah, sorry I was thinking. Um, yeah I could probably stay; they don’t need me too bad at work.” He could almost see his mother’s shoulders relaxing.

 _”Oh thank you, baby. We really appreciate all that you’ve done already, this will be so helpful!...how are you liking the house?”_ The question was asked quietly, almost hesitantly. Lance frowned. 

“It’s...nice? Grandma sure kept a lot of junk though. Why?” 

There was a noticeable pause as his mother struggled with something to say. _”It’s...nothing, I was just wondering since you’ve never been there.”_ Again there was a pause before shuffling on the other end. His mother’s voice came out low, like she didn’t want his father to hear. _”Lance, please listen to me. Be careful and don’t go out into the woods, especially at night.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Super short chapter. I wanted to let everyone know that I love love love all the reviews, you guys are the best! Also, I made a playlist for this fic if anyone is interested?

**Author's Note:**

> This should’ve been posted for Halloween but oh well.


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